One RoughRider who can sometimes slip through the cracks when dishing out compliments is Renny Osuna, but the infielder has been steady all season long. His fifth-inning home run was the difference in yesterday’s 5-4 win at Northwest Arkansas. Osuna’s average has been above .300 since May 14, and it currently sits at .322. He is not phased by a lefty (.327) or a righty (.320). With men in scoring position, Osuna is hitting .359 with 18 of his 22 RBIs.

Martin Perez may not have “deserved” the win last night as he allowed a season-high four runs in six innings, but the southpaw had been robbed of a few wins earlier in the season. Baseball evens things out. To prove once again why Perez’s improvement from last year is very significant, consider this: Perez’s earned run average last night was a 6.00, his worst showing of the season. Last year in 24 outings, Perez had a 5.96 ERA.

Perez is still second in the league with a 2.41 ERA, and the only man ahead of him (Juan Nicasio) just pitched for the Rockies last weekend.

Just some food for thought: with a few more good starts, former RoughRider Alexi Ogando could have an excellent chance to start for the American League in the All-Star Game. Ogando’s 2.33 ERA is seventh in the American League, but he has the best WHIP (0.91) and is the only pitcher with more than 40 innings of work who has yet to lose this year. Plus, Ogando has a big advantage–the A.L.’s manager is his manager. Ogando has a big test tomorrow in Cleveland against the league’s best team, but it is something to monitor. It would be pretty cool to see after Ogando pitched in Frisco last year.

It’s a special start time of 6:00, with pre-game on the RBN at 5:30. Enjoy!

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